Shadows of Crimes Past
by kyrdwyn
Summary: Grissom brings in someone to help on a private matter that turns into a matter for the whole team


"Shadows of Crimes Past"

by kyrdwyn

Rated: R

Spoilers: Pilot, Anonymous, 'Ghosts of Crimes Past'

August 13, 2001

CSI, Gil Grissom and company, and places and etc are all property of Anthony Zuiker, Alliance Atlantis, CBS, and other companies. They did not condone this fic, and I am not getting paid for it. I write because I want to. All other characters not appearing on CSI in any way, shape, or form that appear in this story are my property. If you have any comments - good or bad, feel free to e-mail me at: toxicrev@yahoo.com

Written in prior to Season Two and especially "Identity Crisis"

Jana was already at the diner when Grissom walked in.  He was relieved that she'd gotten his message and decided to respond.  Though she'd accepted his apologies for what happened five years ago, their relationship was still fragile.  He'd invited her to lunch several times over the past few months, and she'd only taken him up on it a few times.  But this was different.  He needed her help.

            Jana's face was wreathed in cigarette smoke as she sat in a back booth.  The P.I.'s hair was loose around her shoulders, covering part of her face.  He couldn't read her expression as she waited for him.

            "Hey, I was wondering if you were going to show up tonight."  Jana's voice carried across the aisle to him.  She was tilting her head to one side, regarding him intently as she tapped the ash from the end of her cigarette.

            He slipped onto the bench opposite her.  "Sorry.  Something came up.  Couldn't get away when I wanted too."

            She shook her head.  "Any other woman would have left by now, Grissom.  It's a good thing I used to work with you."

            He regarded her with a raised eyebrow.  She just smiled.

            "Anyway, sorry I didn't get to meet you for lunch last week – I was in court, testifying."

            "Anything interesting?"

            "Divorce.  Never fun.  At least there were no kids involved – I hate having to testify when the kids are in the room."

            "Adultery?"

            "Big time."  She crushed her cigarette out into the ashtray.  The waitress came over to take their orders, and Jana was grateful that Grissom let the subject drop when the woman left.  Divorce cases were the lowlight of her job.

            Jana took a sip of her soda and watched Grissom.  There was something off about him tonight.  She realized what it was when he reached over to the napkin dispenser and pulled out one of the paper rectangles.  He idly began to twist it around in his hands.  Jana had seen Grissom worked up about things before, but had never seen him fidget like this.

            "What's wrong?"

            He looked up, startled by her question.  "What do you mean?"

            "I mean – what's wrong?  There's something bothering you, Gris."

            "Nothing's wrong."  He was lying, Jana could tell.  She reached across the table to cover one of his hands with her own.

            "Grissom, you just destroyed a poor, defenseless napkin for no reason.  That's not your style.  Something's wrong."

            Grissom sighed, staring down at the remains of the napkin.  "You're right.  There is something wrong."

            Jana waited quietly.  She stayed silent when the waitress brought their orders.  She watched Grissom as they ate.  He wouldn't meet her eyes.  This was almost worse than that farce of a conversation they'd had five years ago.  

            Grissom set his fork down. "Look, Jana, I'm sorry.  I shouldn't bring you into this.  I ought to get back to work."  He started to get up.

            Jana's hand shot across the table to grab his arm before he could get out of the booth.  "No way, Grissom.  There's something bothering you – and for some reason you came to me instead of Catherine to talk this out.  I'm not letting you just get up and leave."

            Grissom regarded the younger woman.  Her blue eyes were angry.  He sat back down, sighing.  She was right.

            He reached into his jacket and pulled out three plastic evidence bags.  Inside each was a note.  He handed them over to Jana and watched her face as she read them.  Her eyes widened in disbelief at the first note, then narrowed at the other two.  He remained silent as she read each a second time.  Finally she looked up at Grissom.

            "Where did you get these?"

            "They've been slipped into my mailbox while I've been at work over the past week."

             Jana flipped the bags over, noticing the lack of evidence tags.  "Why come to me?  Wouldn't Brass be a better choice?"

            He shook his head.  "I need someone outside the department."

            Jana raised an eyebrow.  If Grissom wasn't even trusting Brass on this, it must be serious.  "You think someone in the department sent them?"

            "No.  But I think someone inside the department helped."

            "Okay, you know how I feel about Brass, but I sincerely doubt he's helping out whoever sent these.  So why not go to him about this?"

            "Because there's no way any investigation run within the department could remain secret.  Someone is bound to find out about it.  And the more people who know…"

            "The more of a chance this guy will know," Jana finished for him.  "What do you need me to do?"

            He shook his head.  "I really don't want to drag you into this, Jana.  I don't want to see you get hurt again."  His face reflected the pain he felt at recalling why Jana had left CSI.

            Jana looked at him steadily, her own ghosts from that time visible in her expression.  "Look, I'm already involved now.  It's why you wanted to meet tonight – isn't it?  You said it yourself – you need someone outside the department.  How many other P.I.s do you know?  Especially ones who wouldn't be able to resist bragging that a member of the LVPD is coming to them for help."

            He sighed, dropping his eyes down to his unfinished meal.  Jana was right – he didn't know of anyone else he could trust with this.  He just prayed he wasn't making a mistake in allowing her to investigate.

            "I need you to keep an eye on my townhouse.  They know my work hours and habits – even what cases I'm working.  I want to find out who's delivering the notes and when."

            Jana nodded, mentally checking over the equipment in her car.  She had some surveillance items left over from another case earlier that day.  "I can start tonight.  Where's the best place?"

            "There's a parking lot for visitors to the clubhouse a few streets away.  You ought to be able to get a good view from there."

            "How close do you want me to keep this?"

            Grissom tilted his head to one side.  "What do you mean?"

            Jana smiled.  "Should I bring in my staff, or would you rather I not?"

            "I'd rather just keep it between us right now.  The less people who know, the better as far as I'm concerned."

            He pulled out his wallet and tossed enough on the table to cover both their meals.  He stood, and Jana got up as well.  He looked at her solemnly, "Jana – be careful.  If I'm right, this could be dangerous."

            Jana swallowed the flippant remark she was planning to make.  Instead she nodded.  "I'll be careful, I promise."

*          *          *          *          *

            His cell phone rang just as he turned off the ignition to his Tahoe.  He flipped it open.

            "Grissom."

            "Good morning, sunshine.  No visitors last night, unless you count the occasional stray animal.  You really ought to put the lids to your garbage cans on a little tighter."  Jana's amused voice came through the speaker.

            "Where are you?"

            "Now, now, Gris.  I never reveal good surveillance positions.  Trade secrets and all that.  I just thought I would let you know that while I was here, no one stopped by.  Now I think I'm going to take off and get some sleep.  What time should I be back tonight?"

            "I'm scheduled to be in at 11, but if I get called in earlier I'll let you know."

            "Okay.  Call my cell – it's the best way to reach me."

            "I will.  Tell Tilly and Evie I said hi."

            He heard her chuckle.  "I'll do that."  She ended the call.  

Grissom refrained from looking around for her when he got out of the car.  He felt relieved at knowing that there shouldn't be another note waiting for him when he got his mail.  He flipped open the box and found it empty – as it should be.  His tormentor had taken last night off, apparently.

*          *          *          *          *

            Jana watched from her car to make sure Grissom made it into his house.  She wasn't surprised to see him check his mailbox – just in case.  Once his door was closed, she started her car.  She headed home long enough to change into a gray business suit and pull her hair back into a French braid.  A little makeup to hide the evidence of a night's surveillance and she was off again.  When she'd driven past Grissom's house the night before, she'd noticed a "For Rent" sign on a house diagonally across the street from his.  It had a bay window on the side that would give a perfect view for surveillance – and would be less conspicuous than sitting in the parking lot every night. 

            The realtor was delighted to show the house to Jana, who gave every appearance of being a young professional just moving into the area.  As Jana had suspected, the house was perfect for surveillance.  The windows were at great angles, and the place was furnished - meaning she wouldn't have to do much more to establish her cover.  Jana   signed the rental agreement when they got back to the realtor's office.  After a few minutes of wheedling, she got permission to stay there starting that night.  After all, she'd told the realtor, staying in a hotel on the Strip wasn't the same as sleeping in your own space.  The woman had agreed, and turned over the key.  Of course, the fact that Jana had paid the equivalent of three months rent – nonrefundable – didn't hurt either.

            On her way back to her own condo, Jana shook her head at the lengths she went to in her job.  Normally, she wouldn't have been this extravagant - Grissom's neighborhood wasn't cheap.  The parking lot would have been fine, except for the fact that people noticed when unfamiliar cars began showing up at odd hours of the night and staying for a while.  If she was there too long, they called the police.  Usually, the cops were friendly with her – understanding that she was doing her job.  But she didn't want word of her investigation becoming known around the station – it might get back to the mole.   

*          *          *          *          *

            Jana awoke to the sound of Mozart's 40th in her ear.  She turned over and grabbed her cell phone.  

            "Jana."

            "Hey, boss.  You planning on coming in today?"

            She rubbed her eyes.  "What time is it?" she asked her office manager.

            "Two in the afternoon."

            She'd been asleep for three hours.  She was tempted to just hang up on Timothy and go back to sleep, but he deserved an explanation.

            "Sorry - I was working on a case all night.  Special request."

            Timothy stayed silent.  Special request cases meant that the client, for whatever reason, wanted one investigator only working on their case.  That often translated into not telling anyone else in the office about the case until it was finished.

            "Well, should we expect you in today?"

            "Anything pressing on my calendar?"

            "Nope."

            "Then I'm not coming in.  If an emergency comes up, call me.  Otherwise, I'm in the field."

            "Sure thing.  See you later."

            "Later."  Jana hung up the phone and burrowed back under her covers, gently pushing her dogs out of the way.  She'd just about fallen back asleep when the phone rang again.  Letting out a sound of frustration, she reached for her cell phone.

            "What?"

            "Not exactly the greeting I was expecting."

            Jana sighed. "Sorry, Gris."

            He chuckled.  "No problem.  Look, I'm sorry to do this to you, but I have to go in early tonight - there's a meeting I need to attend."

            "You poor thing."

            "Thanks.  Look, if you can't make it this afternoon, just come back at the usual time - they may not know about the meeting."

            "Grissom, if they've got a mole in the department, they probably know.  Don't worry; I'll be there.  What time is the meeting?"

            "I'll have to leave by 6 to be there on time."

            "Okay."

            "Jana…thanks.  This means a lot to me."

            "I know, Gil.  You take care."

            "You too."

*          *          *          *          *

            Jana stood in her new living room and watched through the viewfinder of her video camera as Grissom got into his SUV and drove away.  She had debated letting him know that she was renting the house, but decided against it.  Sometimes the less a client knew, the better for them.

            Once the video camera was set up to her liking, Jana moved over to her still photo camera.  Though she couldn't be watching the house 24/7, she wanted to make sure that if someone showed up, they were caught on film no matter what.  

            Since her equipment was working, all Jana had to do was wait.  She sat down on the couch across from the window and pulled out her notebook to log in her arrival time at the house.  She flipped to the last page, where she'd written down the messages on the notes Grissom had showed her.  Though they made no sense to Jana, they obviously did to Grissom.  Enough to worry him.

            Looking up, Jana noticed a UPS truck pulling up outside Grissom's house.  Curious, she moved over to the camera and began taking shots as the driver got out and walked up to the front door.  When he didn't get an answer, he went next door.  Jana presumed he needed a signature for the package.  Figuring she might as well see what Grissom had ordered, she headed out her front door to check her mailbox.  The delivery guy noticed her and came over.

            "Excuse me, ma'am."

            "Yes?"

            "This package is for your neighbor across the street, but he's not home.  Would you mind signing for it?"

            "Uh, no."  Jana scrawled a fake name on the computer pad and took the box.  The young man gave her a grateful smile and hurried back to his truck.  Jana walked back into her house and set the package down on the dining room table.  She smiled ruefully - she was going to have to tell Gris about her new place now.

            The package had been sent from here in Vegas – from one of those businesses that provided private mailboxes and shipping.  The name above the business address was Royce Harmon – a name Jana didn't recognize.

            She shrugged and returned to the living room.  There was nothing going on outside in the street.  Jana lit a cigarette and settled back down on the couch, pulling out a book to read.  

*          *          *          *          *

            When Grissom pulled into his driveway the next morning he was half expecting his phone to ring again.  It didn't, so he got out of the car and headed into his house, checking his mailbox along the way.  It was empty - no visitors last night.

            He entered his house and set his briefcase and jacket down on one of the chairs.  He'd just gotten a bottle of water from his fridge when the doorbell rang.  He was surprised to find Jana on his porch, a box in her arms.  There was a note on top of the box.  He glanced at it before greeting her.  

            _We're being watched - act like you don't know me._

            He looked up.  "Hi."

            She smiled brightly.  "Hi!  My name is Karen Lockhart.  I just moved in across the street.  You got a package yesterday that needed a signature.  I hope you don't mind that I signed for it."

            He shook his head.  "No, I'm glad you did.  My name is Gil Grissom, but I guess you've figured that out by now.  Would you like to come in?"  

            "Sure."  She brought the box in with her.  Grissom locked the door behind her and followed her into the living room.  She had set the box on the glass dining table and was writing something on the slip of paper.  She handed it to him.

            "I like the décor.  These butterflies are exquisite."  She said as she wandered around.

            He looked at the paper.  _Have you checked your place for bugs?  I think these people are more sophisticated than we expected._

            He raised his eyebrows and looked at Jana disbelievingly.  She was over by his window fans, peering into the mesh that covered them.  She turned her head, pointing to the fans with a finger.

            "So, how long have you lived here?"

            "Uh, about 15 years."  He walked over to where she stood and peered in, seeing the tiny wireless microphone that someone had placed into the unit.  He looked over at her, and she shook her head at him.

            "This house - or in Vegas?"

            "I've been in Vegas pretty much all my life.  What about you?" he responded, making small talk as Jana continued to examine his house for bugs.  Grissom sat down at the table, a little stunned by the fact that someone had been listening to him at home.

            "Oh, I just moved here from Reno.  Transferred by my company.  I was lucky to find a furnished place for rent so quickly - living out of the Monaco was getting to be a drag."

            Jana had finished her survey of his living room and kitchen, finding no other bugs.  Grissom planned to go through the rest of his house when he was alone.  

            "Well, I saw you pull up as I was getting ready for work and wanted to make sure you got your package.  I do need to get going."  Jana was scrawling something else on the slip of paper as she spoke.  _Call me when you're not at home so we can talk freely._

            "Thank you for taking in my package.  You didn't have to do that."  He walked with Jana to his front door.  

            "It was my pleasure.  I hope to see you again, Mr. Grissom."  She smiled at him and extended her hand, as if she hadn't known him for seven years.

            "Same here, Ms. Lockhart."  He shook her hand and watched from his doorway, hands in his pockets, as Jana walked across the street to the house she was apparently using for surveillance.  She got into her car and drove off, waving at him as she drove by.  He waved back and shut his door.

            Back in his living room, he contemplated the package.  He, like Jana, noticed that it had been sent from a packaging depot store.  Unlike Jana, he recognized the name on the return address.

            He sat down in his chair, thinking back to all those months ago when he and Brass had worked on the Royce Harmon case.  A fingerprint had led them to Paul Millander, but the man had been sneaky enough to plant his own fingerprint from a latex hand his Hallowierd Company made.  It was enough to make Grissom doubt the evidence.  Then another body, same suicide in the bathtub scenario.  This time, they realized Millander had been behind the killings, but the man had slipped away, tormenting Grissom one last time by showing up at the crime lab while he, Brass, and Catherine were out to arrest him.

            Grissom had suspected Millander was behind the notes that were being sent to his house.  They had all had references to his two killings.  What had really disturbed Grissom were the references to some of the current cases he was working on - like the Metcalf case.  

            Grissom rubbed his forehead.  He should take this package down to the lab and have them dust it for prints.  He should tell Brass that Millander was back in town.  But with his suspicion that someone in the department was assisting Millander, he was leery of any departmental involvement.

            Deciding that he didn't want to open the package just yet, he got up and headed into his bedroom to take a shower.  He'd look for bugs later.

*          *          *          *          *

            Jana checked her rearview mirror to make sure the people who were watching Grissom's house weren't following her.  They apparently decided that she was a harmless neighbor.  

            She headed back home and greeted Tilly and Evie, her two Shih-Tzu dogs.  Setting out their bowls, she climbed the stairs to the top floor of her condo.  In her home office, she booted up her laptop and logged onto the Internet.  She had a Lexis-Nexis account she used for research for cases.  Now, she was searching for the name that she had seen on the package sent to Grissom.  

            Two hours later, she called Grissom and asked him to meet her for dinner before his shift started.  She had a few things to say to say to him.

*          *          *          *          *

            "You didn't tell me you knew who was behind this," Jana hissed at Grissom.  They were sitting in the back booth of the diner again, eating dinner.  Jana was chain-smoking, the acrid smoke fogging the air between them.  Jana knew it was irritating Grissom, but she was more irritated with him.

            "How did you --"

            "I'm a freaking private investigator, Gris.  I do my homework.  I checked out the name on your UPS box.  I know about the two bathtub 'suicides' - and the fact that there was one several years ago where the jury chose not to believe a young Paul Millander."

            He sighed.  Jana leaned forward.

            "It's Millander, isn't it?  He's behind these notes, the package.  Why, Gris?  What does he want from you?"

            "He's trying to get back for what was done to his father.  I think he sees me as some sort of forensic sparring partner - how far can he go without getting caught."

            Jana held up her hand and shook her head.  "Wait a second, Grissom - if this guy is so psycho that he's killing people to prove he's better than you then why haven't you told this to Brass yet?  Screw the fact that there may be a mole inside the station," she added when Grissom looked about to object, "this guy is hazardous to your health."

            He smiled slightly at her choice of words.

            "Damn it, Grissom - this isn't a laughing matter.  Do you really think I want to be the one to tell your team what happened because you didn't think you could trust them on this matter?"  Jana's voice reflected her fears for Grissom's safety.  While she had been initially flattered that Grissom had come to her, this was getting way over both their heads.  "What the hell did he send you in that box, anyway?"

            "I don't know.  I haven't opened it."

            Jana looked at him, her eyes narrowed.  "Well, that's the first sane thing you've done in this case.  Are you going to get the lab guys to print it?  Maybe our mole got his paws on the box."

            "I was thinking I'd prefer to have you do it."  Grissom said just as Jana was taking a sip of her soda.  She choked and started coughing.  When she could finally speak she looked at him with disbelief and amazement in her eyes.

            "Are you out of your insect-loving mind?  Look, I may be able to print the box, and get some good prints - but I don't have access to AFIS like you do.  At best I'd be able to eliminate your prints and mine from unknown prints.  Look, Grissom - this is out of my league as a P.I.  Staking out your house is one thing; prints and serial killers are a whole other hockey game."   She lit another cigarette and gestured with it.  "You need to talk to Brass."

            "And here I thought you didn't like Brass."

            Jana barely suppressed the urge to reach across the table and shake some sense into him.  She didn't understand why he wasn't taking this seriously.  Then again, Grissom always seemed to be in his own little world, removed from the rest of humanity.  It was possible that in his world, he hadn't conceived of being a target of Millander's twisted little mind.  She took a deep breath.  "My personal feelings for Brass have nothing to do with this - I'm worried for you, Gil."

            "It's not me he wants, Jana."

            "Gil - do you have any idea what he wants?"

            He didn't respond.

            "Then how can you be so sure he doesn't want you?"

*          *          *          *          *

            Grissom went back to work in a thoughtful frame of mind after handing the box over to Jana.  Her last questions were running though his mind.  He didn't know what Millander really wanted.  He could say it was justice for the death of his father - but Grissom didn't know that for sure.  For all he knew, Millander did have some master plan involving Grissom.

            "Earth to Grissom.  Come in Grissom."  Catherine's voice startled him out of his reverie.

            "Sorry, I was thinking."

            "Apparently," she said with a frown.  "Why does it smell like a nicotine addict's convention in here?"

            "I had dinner with Jana Stevens."

            Catherine looked amused.  "Still haven't gotten her to quit?"

            "I'm working on it."

            "Work harder or you'll be doing a lot more laundry."

            "Is there a reason for this little visit, Cath?"

            "Yeah - I've got the latest on the Metcalf murder.  The file is missing."

            Grissom's eyebrows flew up toward his hairline.  "What?"

            "It's gone - no one can find it.  Hasn't been seen since Warrick gave it to Daniel Lee in Ballistics - who is now on vacation."

            "Find him," Grissom said.  "Word of this gets out and the media will have a field day.  Not to mention our Sheriff."

            "No kidding.  Warrick is tracking him down now.  In the mean time, Sara and I are going to go back over all the evidence we have and re-analyze it to build a new file."

            "Keep this one close to you at all times, Catherine."

            "I will."

*          *          *          *          *

            Jana was waiting for Brass in the Homicide captain's office.  She was idly tossing a pack of cigarettes from hand to another.

            "Well, I thought you didn't set foot in here without me putting handcuffs on you."

            Jana didn't even turn her head to face him.  "Shut the door, Brass.  I need to talk to you and I don't want to be overheard."

            "Funny, I thought this was my office."

            Jana sighed heavily.  "Please, Brass."

            She heard the door shut behind her and Brass walked around to sit behind his desk.  He leaned back in his chair.  "So talk."

            "I'm worried about Grissom."

            "Why?"

            Jana sighed again.  "I can't really tell you that - but just trust me, I think he's in danger."

            "You expect me to believe that when you won't tell me why?"

            Jana rubbed her forehead in a Grissom-like gesture.  "Look, you know how I feel about client confidence.  I've said too much as it is."  She got up and went to the door.

            "Jana, wait."

            She turned to face Brass, her eyes reflecting her conflicting emotions.  "What?"

            "You really believe he's in danger," he said, leaning forward.

            "Yeah, Brass, I do."

            "What can I do?"

            Jana let her relief cross her face as she sat back down in front of his desk.  "This can't go beyond this room - I'm afraid someone inside the department is involved."

            Brass' eyebrows went up, but he didn't say a word.

            "I need access to AFIS.  Just to run a few prints.  I've got a suspicion but I can't prove anything."

            "That's asking a lot, Jana."

            "I wouldn't ask if this didn't involve Grissom."

            "Why not go to Catherine?  Or Warrick?"

            "I need someone outside the lab."  She took a deep breath, looking him straight in the eyes.  "You're the only one I can trust."

            The two regarded each other for a moment, their mutual worry about Grissom overcoming the years of dislike.

            "Do you have the prints with you?"

            "Yeah," Jana said, pulling the fingerprint cards from her jacket pocket.  She handed them over to Brass.  "These are the ones I need run."

            "You can't tell me anything else about this?"

            She shook her head.  "If Grissom knew I was here now, he'd have my head."

            "I won't tell him.  I promise," he added at Jana's look of disbelief.  "I'll call when I have the results."

            "Thanks, Brass.  I owe you."

            "I know."

*          *          *          *          *

            Jana's surveillance house was dark when she pulled up.  She'd checked the streets and didn't see anything suspicious.  She went into her living room and changed the tapes in the video camera, labeling the one she'd removed with the time and date.  She popped it into the VCR and ran it through, checking to see if anything usual had occurred in her absence.  Nothing had.

            Sighing, she stretched out on her couch, staring out the window toward Grissom's house.  She felt guilty about going behind Grissom's back to Brass, but she couldn't ignore her gut instinct.  She'd been listening to it for too long - and it was telling her that Grissom was in trouble.  

*          *          *          *          *

             Jana was dreaming of Marcus Jackson again, a dream she hadn't had in months.  She was back in his house, unable to move as he advanced on her.  Just as he was about to reach her, though, Grissom yanked her away.  The scene changed to his house, where Jana could only watch helplessly as a man with a pockmarked face and stringy black hair dragged Grissom out of the house and vanished into the night.

            She came abruptly awake, sitting straight up on the sofa and staring into the darkness of the house.  Her heart was pounding and she was breathing heavily in fear.  She jumped and fell off the couch as her cell phone rang.  It took her a few seconds to find it.

            "Jana."

            "It's Brass.  I ran those prints for you.  Listen, where did you get those?"

            "Off a package a someone sent Grissom - why?"

            "Because one of them belongs to a lab tech in the department.  Another belongs to a serial killer."

            "Paul Millander."

            "You knew," Brass said accusingly.

            "I suspected.  So did Grissom."

            "Yeah, well, if he's turned up again, this is bad news."

            "What about the lab tech?"

            "He's on vacation."

            "Brass - I can guarantee that the only person from the lab who touched the box those prints came from is Grissom.  Unless the guy moonlights for UPS - how did his prints get on there?"

            "You're saying the lab tech is involved with Millander."

            "The evidence is pointing that way."

            "Jeez, you sound like Grissom."

            "Sorry."  Jana got up and wandered over to the window, staring across the street.  Even though the shift wasn't over, Grissom's Tahoe was in his driveway.  Jana frowned.  She leaned down to peer at the video camera's display.  Its high definition zoom gave her a better picture than the naked eye.  She could see the driver's door to the Tahoe was still open, and what looked like a set of keys on the ground nearby.

            "Brass - where's Grissom?"

            "Huh?  He went home - got a page that a neighbor of his was in trouble - a Karen Lockhart."

            Jana cursed.  "Brass, Karen Lockhart is the name I'm using in this neighborhood.  I didn't page him.  His house was bugged.  And I don't think he's here now - something's wrong.  Better send someone over to check it out."

            The other end of the line was silent for a moment.  "And what if you're wrong?"

            "Then you can have the pleasure of telling him that I was."

*          *          *          *          *

            Jana watched from her window as police cars pulled up to Grissom's house.  Brass was with them.  She watched as they checked the Tahoe and then entered the house.  Brass came back out and started ordering the uniform cops around.  Crime scene tape was unrolled around his yard.  Neighbors began milling around the perimeter.

            Jana had spent the time in between her conversation with Brass and now checking the videotape from her camera.  What she found was disturbing, to say the least.  She had made two quick copies of it - the police would want one, she knew.  She was also glad she had made duplicate prints of her still photos - at the time she figured Grissom would want his own copy.  Now she had a set to turn over to the cops and a set for herself.

            Jana gathered up her personal copies of the video and the pictures and carefully stored them in the hidden compartment of her camera case.  The others she took with her as she left the house and joined the crowd around Grissom's.  The sheriff was just arriving, along with Grissom's team and Eckley's.  Jana frowned.  The thought of Eckley in charge of this case was nauseating.

            Jana spotted Brass and nodded at him.  He nodded in return, but didn't walk over to her.  Instead, he went to talk to the sheriff.  Eckley and Catherine joined them.  Jana looked around for someone she knew.

            "Warrick!" she called out.  The young CSI turned at the sound of his name and spotted her, his eyes widening.  He came over to stand near her, on the other side of the tape.

            "Jana.  What are you doing here?"

            "Long story.  What's going on?" she asked.  Though Jana had a pretty good idea of what had happened, she wanted to hear the official version before she made any attempt to help the police.  

            "Grissom's missing.  Brass got a call about half-hour ago - someone reporting something odd.  He came over, found Gris' car open and his keys on the ground.  His house is apparently trashed as well, and Brass thinks he saw blood."

            Jana paled.  "Oh my god.  Do we know --"

            "What happened?  Not yet.  Sheriff won't let any of us in there.  Even though the case was caught on the night shift…" his deep voice trailed off.

            "He's going to give it to Eckley because you're Grissom's team," Jana said flatly.

            "Yeah."

            "Look, Warrick, if there is anything I can do to help - well, I have connections outside the department, and there's nothing that says that I can't do my own investigation at the request of a client," Jana offered, letting a trace of a smile cross her lips.

            Warrick, despite his concerns, smiled in return.  "We just might take you up on that."

            Brass, having finished with the sheriff, came over to Warrick and Jana.  "Sheriff's giving this to Eckley."

            "Damn it."

            Brass raised an eyebrow at Jana.  "You've got a problem with that?"

            "Yeah - I want to see this case solved," Jana retorted.  "Did you tell anyone about…" she let her voice trail off.

            Warrick looked confused as Brass shook his head.  "No, why?"

            "I have evidence."  She handed Brass the envelope with the pictures and the videotape.  "If they ask, just tell them a P.I. turned it over to you anonymously.  Make up a reason why I was here."

            "Isn't that breaking client confidence?"  Warrick asked, confused.

            "Yes, but I doubt my client will mind."

            Brass gave Jana a searching look.  "Are you sure?"

            "Trust me on this, Brass."

            He nodded, and walked over to where the sheriff stood with Eckley.  Catherine, Sara, and Nick were standing off to the side by their vehicle.  Sara's hands were clenched into fists as she watched Eckley's team at work.  Nick was punching his right fist into his left hand.  Catherine…well, Jana would not want to be Millander when Catherine caught up to him, judging by the look on the woman's face.  

            "I should go join them," Warrick said, noticing where Jana was looking.

            "I'll come with you."

            Warrick ducked under the tape and the two of them made their way around the edge of the crowd to the rest of the team.

            "Damn it, Eckley's team couldn't find a clue if it bit them on the nose.  Why the hell would the sheriff let him have this case?"  Sara was asking as Warrick and Jana got closer.

            "Probably afraid you're all too emotionally involved to investigate impartially," Jana said, drawing everyone's attention.  Nick and Sara looked surprised to see Jana there.  Catherine didn't even blink at Jana's appearance.

            "Brass told me you were the one who mentioned Grissom was in trouble," she commented.  That caused the other three CSIs to stare at Jana in amazement.  

            Jana shrugged.  "I was in the neighborhood on a case.  Saw the car and the keys, called it in," she said.  It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth - the street was too open, too crowded for that.

            "You talked to Brass?" Nick asked with a smile.

            "Yes, and we both survived."  Jana stepped closer to the team, pitching her voice low.  "There's more to this than I can let on here.  We need to meet somewhere.  I'm not standing by and watching Eckley screw up this case."  Jana met Catherine's eyes, willing the other woman to understand what she meant.

            Finally, Catherine nodded.  "Where and when?"

            "My office, 9 am."

            "We'll be there."

            Jana gave Catherine a slight smile.  "Tell Brass - he'll want to be there."

            Catherine arched a brow, but made no comment.

*          *          *          *          *

            Nick let out a low whistle of amazement.  "When you said this place looked like a high priced attorney's office, Sara, you weren't kidding."

            The team was standing in the reception area of Stevens Investigations.  Nick and Catherine had never been to Jana's office, and both were surprised by how sophisticated it was.  Sara didn't answer Nick's comment.  She was too busy pacing around the room.  Warrick looked at Nick and shrugged.  He'd been here before, but under different circumstances - the office had been broken into and he'd been sent to investigate the scene.

            Brass had also been to the office before, and now he was just standing by the door to the hall, watching everyone.  He knew why Jana wanted to meet after seeing what she had given him to turn over to Eckley.  Jana wasn't dumb, despite having - in his opinion - some questionable work methods.  She would have made her own copies.  

            One of the three doors opposite the entry door opened, and Jana came out.  She was still wearing the same jeans and t-shirt from the night before, but her hair was pulled back haphazardly with a clip.  She had lines of fatigue in her face and circles under her eyes.  Idly, Brass wondered if she'd slept at all since she'd talked to them.  

            "Hey, come on back."  Even her voice sounded tired.

            The group followed Jana into the lab area of her private investigation firm.  Brass and Warrick had both been inside it several months ago while executing a search warrant during the Edgecombe investigation.  Catherine, Nick, and Sara all stopped and stared around them.  While it wasn't the equivalent of the Las Vegas Crime Lab, it was more than they were expecting in a P.I.'s office.

            Jana looked back over her shoulder at the CSIs.  A tired smile crossed her face at their amazement.  "Hey, it's just a lab."

            "Just a lab?" Sara echoed.  "I know some small town police departments that would turn green over this."

            Brass noticed the pain that flickered over Jana's face at Sara's comment.  He was puzzled by it until he heard her low response.  "Funny, Grissom said much the same thing to me when he saw it."

            As Jana led them into her AV area, Brass continued to watch her.  Despite his misgivings about her background - a crazed murderer had killed her parents, leaving an 18-year-old Jana a very rich young woman with a passion for catching criminals - she'd been a fairly competent CSI.  He hadn't wanted her in the unit because of her background - he didn't think she belonged there.  She'd surprised him, and angered him, by sticking with it - taking the shoddy assignments he gave her and working them the way she would have worked any other case.  It was her habit of bending the rules, bending protocol, which really irked him.  Sure, neither he nor Grissom were the best role models in that area, but as a rookie CSI, she should have known better.

            The sight of Grissom on one of the monitors in the lab brought Brass back to the present.  Jana was seated in front of the control board, along with a red headed young man that Brass recognized from his previous visit - a lab tech by the name of Kevin.

            "Where did you get this?"  Catherine asked, gesturing to the pictures.

            "That's part of what I need to tell you," Jana said.  She swung around in the chair to face them, her fingers twirling a pen around nervously.

            "Grissom came to me a few nights ago, asking for my help.  Someone had been slipping messages into his mailbox while he was at work.  He showed me the messages - they were heavily threatening.  They referred to two past cases of his and a current case.  He wanted to figure out who was behind it, so he asked me to stake out his house."

            "Why didn't he tell us?"  Sara asked in a tone that was almost challenging Jana.

            "He was concerned about the mentions of his current case - he suspected a mole within the department."

            "So he came to you."  Nick said matter of factly.

            "Right.  So I staked out his house.  While I was there he got a package, from a Royce Harmon."  Jana stopped to watch their faces.  Catherine had been looking at the monitors, but her head snapped around at the mention of that name.  Sara took a step forward.  Warrick and Nick looked at each other.  Brass, having known Millander was involved, wasn't too shocked.

            "Royce Harmon?  Wasn't he --?"

            "One of Millander's victims?  Yeah."  Brass finished Nick's sentence for him.

            "So Millander's back?"  Sara asked.

            "Yeah," Brass said with a sigh, "his prints were all over the package that Grissom got.  Along with our vacationing lab tech, Daniel Lee."

            Warrick slammed his hand against the wall.  "Son of a bitch."

            Jana turned to Warrick.  "What?"

            "Lee was the last person to have the missing Metcalf file."

            "The file's missing?"  Brass asked.

            "Yeah." Catherine said.

            Jana suddenly shot up from her chair and out of the room.  Everyone else looked at each other in confusion.  She came back five minutes later with a box in her hand.

            "The box Grissom got," she said without preamble, setting it on her chair.  "He never opened it, about the only sane thing he did in this whole mess."

            Eyebrows raised all around the room hearing Jana criticize Grissom.  It was the first time in months she'd done so.  

            "What are you thinking?"  Nick asked.

            Jana pulled something out of the pocket of her jeans.  Silver flashed in the overhead lights as her knife blade was released from its sheath.  "I'm thinking that if Millander and Lee got their prints all over this, there must be something important inside.  Something they wanted Gris to have."  She slit the tape on the sides.  

"Um, Jana?  Aren't you worried about what's in there?"  Warrick asked, backing away from the box.

            "Honey, I doubt blowing Gris up is Millander's style.  Besides, this might be the only way to find them.  So, either I die or Gris does.  Not much of a choice to me."  She slit the top tape and pulled the flaps back.  "Well, hello nurse.  Kevin, hand me those --" The lab tech already had a pair of latex gloves out and dropped them into Jana's hands.  "You're beautiful."  Jana pulled the gloves on and reached into the box.  "Warrick, I think you were missing this?"  She pulled out the missing Metcalf file.

            Catherine grabbed a pair of gloves and pulled them on.  She took the file from Jana and carefully leafed though it.  "Well, it's all here."

            Jana was still peering in the box.  "Um, Catherine?  Was Metcalf missing anything?  Like, say, an ear?"  She pulled out a vacuum-sealed plastic bag containing a human ear.  

            "Oh my God," Sara said.  "Millander killed Metcalf?"

            "Or he got to the crime scene first."  Brass noted.  Jana handed the bag over to Catherine and peered back into the box.

            "Oh look, he left us a note.  How kind of him," Jana said.

            "You know, you just sounded like Brass," Nick pointed out with a grin.  Jana and Brass both looked at each other, then at Nick.

            "No, I didn't."

            "No, she didn't," Brass said at the same time.

            The rest of the team tried not to smile.  Jana pulled the note out of the box.  There were no words on it, just a drawing of a fist with stars spilling through the fingers.

            Warrick had put on a pair of gloves and now took the note from Jana.  "What the hell does this mean?"  He held it so that the others could see.

            "Millander was fond of pictograms.  Grissom could always figure them out."

            "Yeah, well, Grissom's not here, so we get to," Brass told Nick.

            "Stars spilling through fingers…" Sara said thoughtfully.

            Kevin turned around, "Moff Tarkin!"

            "Bless you," Warrick said.

            Kevin shook his head.  "Thanks, but the picture - I think I know the reference."

            "So give, Patterson."

            Kevin glared at Jana.  "I better get a raise for this."

            Jana leaned down, her hands on the arms of Kevin's chair.  "I better hear something good or you'll be getting a new job."

            The CSI's exchanged looks.  Jana was upset by Grissom's disappearance, they all were.  Taking it out on her staff wouldn't help any.  Catherine stepped forward, thinking to calm Jana down, when Kevin spoke.

            "That's only the third time this month, boss.  You owe me a C-note."

            "Month's not over," she said, standing up and crossing her arms.  "I've still got time to threaten your job again."  Both were smiling, confusing the CSI's.

            "Anyway, the original _Star Wars_ movie - classic film - Princess Leia is being held on the Death Star by Governor Tarkin and Darth Vader.  Tarkin threatens Leia, and she tells him 'the more you tighten your grip, the more star systems will slip through your fingers.'  I think that's what your guy is trying to tell you."

            "Are you sure?" Nick asked.

            Kevin looked at Nick. "The UNLV Science Fiction Club just had a Star Wars marathon this weekend - all four films.  Yeah, I'm sure."

            "So what does it mean?" Sara asked.

            "The more you tighten your grasp…" Jana murmured.

            "The harder we try to find Millander, the more he'll get away," Warrick mused.

            "What, so we don't try to find Millander?"  Catherine asked.

            "This message wasn't meant for us," Sara reminded the group.  "He sent it to Grissom.  He was probably trying to tell Grissom there was no point in trying to find him."

            Jana looked slightly ill.  "What's wrong?"  Catherine asked her.

            "There was no point in trying to find Millander, because Millander was already planning to kidnap him?  And I made his job easier by giving him a reason to lure Gris back to his house."

            "Hey - you couldn't have known how far this guy would go," Warrick tried to reassure her.  "Anyway - we've got a better chance to find him now since you were around."  Warrick gestured to the video monitors.

            Jana didn't say anything, just stared at the floor.  "I knew I should have made him go to you guys," she finally whispered.

            "Hey, Stevens - wake up.  Feeling sorry for yourself isn't going to get him back."  Brass said harshly.  Jana's head popped up and she glared at him, a glare he recognized.  He was glad she was angry with him - it would keep her focused on the job at hand.  

            "Kevin, show them what we found," Jana said, still glaring at Brass as she sat back down in front of the console and swung around to face the monitors.

            Kevin tapped on a few keys, setting the tape on the main monitor into motion.  The team watched as Grissom's Tahoe pulled up into his driveway and he ran into his house, leaving the car door open.  A few minutes later, a van pulled up behind the Tahoe, and Grissom came out of the house, a man behind him.  The van hid the two men from sight, but when the van took off, there was no one in the driveway.

            "That's the plain view of the videotape I had recording Gris' house last night," Jana said.

            "Can you get a shot of the plate on the van?" Catherine asked, leaning closer.  Jana shot a sideways glance at her.  Kevin tapped a few more keys and the back of the van appeared in the main monitor.  He zoomed into the plate area, enlarging it as much as he could without losing quality.  They could only get a partial.

            "That's the best I can do, folks," Kevin said, hitting the button that sent the image on the screen to the printer.

            "It's a start, Kev," Jana said thoughtfully as she pulled the photo out and handed it over her shoulder to Warrick.  "Do me a favor - close up on Gris as he was leaving the house."

            As Kevin ran the tape back into position, Nick spoke up, "Why?"

            "Warrick said there might have been blood in the house.  Our boy is so fond of being sneaky, I want to see if Gris was bleeding or if it was planted to throw whoever was investigating off the trail."

            Catherine raised an eyebrow and looked over at Brass.  He was looking at Jana with an expression akin to respect.  Catherine hadn't suspected that the blood had been planted - or at least she wouldn't have until the lab had analyzed it.   Jana was more on the ball than they were.

            "Here," Kevin said.  They all looked.

            "No blood," Sara said.  "Not that we can see."

            "Well, we've got something to go on, at least.  Wonder how I can justify running this through the DMV without letting anyone know we're investigating this on our own," Catherine mused, staring at the photo of the plate.

            Kevin turned to Jana, "Doesn't Beverly owe you a favor?"

Jana's eyes lit up.  "Oh yeah.  She does, doesn't she?"  She pulled out her cell phone and dialed.  "Bev?  It's Jana Stevens.  I need a favor.  Right, plate search.  I'm looking for a gray van, partial plate: unknown-V-J-6-unknown-9.  Entire state if you can, Las Vegas if that's all you've got time for.  Great.  Thanks.  I owe you one.  You know my fax?  I'll be waiting."  She hung up the phone.  "Bev's running it now, she'll fax the results as soon as she's done."

            "You've got friends at the DMV?" Nick asked.

            "Something like that."

            "So, what now?"  That was Sara, impatient to be doing something.

            Kevin had been playing with the tape, trying to get closer on the kidnappers' faces.  He stopped on the man who had forced Grissom out of the house.

            "That's Millander," Brass said, leaning over Jana's chair.  "Can you get closer?"  Kevin worked on the tape a moment longer, but the closer he got the more distorted the picture was.  He shrugged.

            "Sorry, guys."

            Jana shook her head.  "No problem, Kevin.   You've done great."

            "Yeah, Kevin.  Thanks."  Warrick said.

            The lab tech blushed.  Jana stood up, her face pensive.  "I think someone probably ought to find out where this Daniel Lee fellow lives and see if he's home," she suggested.

            Catherine nodded.  "Warrick and I will do that - we were both working on the Metcalf case and can use that as a reason for stopping by."

            "What about us?"  Nick asked, gesturing to himself and Sara.  Catherine looked at Jana, who shrugged.

            "It's your case," the P.I. said.

            "Technically - it's not.  This is your investigation, Jana.  We're just giving you a few extra hands to work with."  Catherine watched as the younger woman eyes went wide.  She was telling the truth though - she and the rest of the night shift couldn't be officially involved in the investigation.  Jana had to run it - as a private investigator she had more freedom than they did.  They could only help her out when it wouldn't interfere with their other cases.   

            Jana put a hand to her forehead, rubbing it absently.  "Okay.  Since you and Warrick were working on the Metcalf case, you check out Lee.  Nick and Sara, if you've got time, I'd like your help when the fax comes in so we can check out the names.  Brass, I think you're our best bet for a spy to Eckley's investigation."

            "You want someone to spy on Eckley's investigation?" he asked.

            "They've got what we don't have - access to the crime scene and the evidence found there."

            "You know, Sanders would probably help us out, on the sly," Nick said thoughtfully.

            Jana tilted her head, "The lab tech with the odd hair?"

            Nick grinned, "Yeah - that's Greg."

            "Well, I will go keep and eye on our erstwhile dayshift CSIs and their case, and let Greg in on our work."  Brass turned to leave.  Catherine and Warrick followed him.

            Jana turned to Sara and Nick.  "You got time to stick around?"

            "If it gets Grissom back," Nick said.

*          *          *          *          *

            Two hours later Nick, Sara, and Jana walking up to a shabby car rental place.  According to the DMV, a gray van with the partial plate from the tape was owned by the agency.

            "Let me do the talking," Jana said as she pulled open the door.  Nick and Sara looked at each other and shrugged.

            The guy behind the counter was decked out in military fatigues and a bandana printed like the American flag.  He looked them over, narrowing his eyes at Nick and Sara and their clean-cut appearance.  Jana, on the other hand, looked at home in the dingy interior.  She'd thrown a worn leather jacket over her jeans and t-shirt, and changed from sneakers to cowboy boots before they left her office.

            "Can I help you?" the man asked.

            "Yeah," Jana said.   "This your van?"  She pulled out the picture and showed it to him.  He frowned at it.

            "Who's asking?"

            Jana pulled out her P.I.'s license from inside her jacket and showed it to him.  "I'm investigating a kidnapping - good friend of mine is the victim.  We think this was the van that was used."

            "So, what, renting a van is a crime?"

            Jana looked at him with a disgusted expression.  "Do I look like a cop?  It's not a crime to me, and I ain't going to tell the police what's going on here.  I just want to find my friend.  If you want to help me, fine.  If not, I'll be disappointed but there's not much I can do.  You obviously know your rights," she added, jerking her chin at the framed copy of the Constitution on the wall behind him.

            "Yeah, I do, honey.  P.I.'s can't get a search warrant."

            "No, we can't.  Which is why I'm not threatening you with one.  No point.  Personally, I don't care what you do around here.  You can dance around naked to 'Stars and Stripes Forever' while throwing darts at a picture of the Las Vegas Sheriff for all I care.  I just want to find my friend before the asshole that took him decides that a dead body is less trouble than a live one, if you catch my drift."

            Nick and Sara looked at each other, amused.  Fatigues looked over at them.  "Who're they?  They look like cops."

            "I know.  I keep telling them they need to lose the clean-cut look, but they're fresh off the force - takes a while to undo the academy brainwashing.  I'm hoping if I let them tag along enough they'll get the idea."

            Fatigues grunted.  "Why not let the cops find your friend?"

            Jana snorted.  "Because I want him found, and in one piece.  I used to be one - I know how they work.  My friend's not some high placed political figure or some celebrity's spoiled brat.  You think they give a shit if they find him?  They'll follow a few leads to say they did something, and when the next case comes in, they'll relegate the file to the back of a drawer somewhere, so sorry, no clues.  Until the body gets dug up a year from now."

            He stared at Jana, and she stared back, letting her anger at the police department come through.  "Let me see the picture again."  She handed it over.  He looked at it.  "Looks like one I rented the other day.  Let me get the paperwork for ya."  He moved off to a back room.  Jana stood at the counter, waiting.  Nick tried not to smile as he caught Sara's puzzled expression.

            "Was she like that when she was a CSI?"

            "On occasion, yeah."

            "I can see why Brass didn't like her."

            The guy came back with a sheet of paper.  "Here," he said, handing it to Jana.  "Guy's name and info.  You didn't get this from me."

            "Of course not.  I never reveal my sources," Jana said seriously.  "Thanks.  If you ever need anything," she let her voice trail off as she handed the man her business card.

            They turned to leave.  "Oh, by the way."  They turned to face him.  "For your information, I've got Al Gore on my dartboard, not the sheriff."

            Jana grinned. "It was worth a shot - he's on mine."

            He chuckled as the three left the building.

            "So, you really have the sheriff on your dartboard?" Sara asked.

            "Of course not," Jana said as she started the car.  "I've got Brass on there."

*          *          *          *          *

            "Well, Lee's place was a total bust - he's not there.  Neighbors haven't seen him for a few days."

            Warrick was half-sitting, half-lying on one of the couches in Jana's private office.  Though Grissom had been missing less than 24 hours, the strain of this investigation was starting to show on his attractive face through lines appearing around his eyes and mouth.  Idly, Jana wondered how bad she looked.  

            Jana was sitting on the edge of her desk, letting her legs dangle over the side.  She was watching Sara and Nick, who were throwing darts at Jana's revamped dartboard - a picture of Millander had replaced the worn one of Brass.  Catherine had gone back to the crime lab to work on a case that needed her attention.  Brass had called in - Eckley's team had found nothing concrete, and were ignoring Jana's tape.  Sanders confirmed what they had already suspected - the blood in the house wasn't Grissom's.

            "So Lee, who has somehow hooked up with Millander, takes the Metcalf file to mail to Grissom, then goes on vacation from the lab, rents this van, and then helps Millander kidnap Grissom," Sara said thoughtfully, watching Nick throw a dart into Millander's forehead.  "My turn."

            Nick relinquished his place to Sara.  "Why did Lee hook up with Millander in the first place?  Does Millander have something on him?"

            "Maybe he has something against Grissom.  There was a time a few years ago that I might have hooked up with someone like Millander for revenge - I was that angry."

            Warrick raised his head from the armrest of the couch, eyes wide at Jana's confession.  "You're kidding."

            She shook her head, staring down at her feet.  "Nope.  I would have considered it, at least.  Hell, maybe I would have done it if you caught me on the right - or maybe wrong - day."

            "Yeah, but you didn't," Sara pointed out while chewing on the end of a dart.  "So what would make Lee cross that line?"

            "I don't know, but Millander's been heard from."

            They all turned to see Brass standing in the doorway, his suit more rumpled than usual and an audiotape in his hand.  "And it's not good," he continued.

            "What does he want?"  Sara's voice lost some of its usual hard edges on the question.

            "Nothing right now."

            "Is Gris --" Jana's voice was barely a whisper.

            "According to Millander, he's fine."  Jana frowned, not exactly relieved.

            "So, Millander's just playing games?"  Warrick asked, throwing his hands up in the air.

            Brass nodded.  "Yeah.  So what was this about Lee?"

            "We were wondering what makes a lab tech hook up with a guy like Millander.  Nick was thinking blackmail, Jana was speculating a personal grudge against Grissom," Sara explained, tossing another dart.  This one landed on Millander's ear.

            "Nice dartboard, Jana.  I'm surprised I'm not on there."

            Jana reached behind her and handed Brass the former target.  He gave a half smile.  

"So what do we know about Lee?" Jana asked.

            "Why do I think you're about to ask me to find out?"

            Jana smiled sweetly, "Why thank you, Brass."

            "God, you remind me of Grissom sometimes," he remarked as he left her office.

            Jana picked up the audiotape Brass left behind and hopped off the desk.  "I want to hear this for myself."

*          *          *          *          *

            The tape wasn't much, but it was enough to confirm that it was Millander.

            "Damn it.  We need something more to be able to find them," Nick exclaimed.  

            "Yeah, well, I'm guessing there was no trace or Brass would have mentioned it," Sara remarked.

            "Wonder if there's anything on there we can use," Warrick said thoughtfully.  

            Jana pulled the tape out of her stereo in her office and handed it to Warrick.  "I've got an audio lab in the back.  Go for it.  Tell Kevin I said it's okay."

            Warrick disappeared out the door with the tape, Sara following.  Jana and Nick were left in her office.

            "Did you really hate Grissom and Brass enough, after…" Nick was quiet as he asked the question.

            Jana sighed.  "Yeah, Nick, I did.  I really did."  She flopped down onto the couch, her hand over her eyes.  "You know Grissom came to see me on what should have been my first night back.  He's lucky he caught me at a low point - no telling what I would have done otherwise."

            Nick didn't say anything.

            "I don't know.  Maybe I should have gone back to work, just gotten over it."

            "You really think you could have?" he asked, sitting down on the other couch.

            "No.  I would have been useless out in the field, useless in the lab - and I knew it.  Not to mention I _know_ how I would have reacted to Brass.  I was gone either way.  At least I left on my own terms."

            "Can I ask you something?"

            "Sure."

            "Why'd you stay in Vegas?  Why not move, make a fresh start somewhere else?   You had to know that if you stayed you had a chance of seeing Brass and Grissom again."

            "I considered moving.  But you know - I love living in Las Vegas.  So I figured running into them was a small price to pay for staying here.  I never contemplated something like the Edgecombe murder."

            "Hey boss."

            Jana dropped her hand and turned her head to face the doorway, where her office manager stood.  "What's up, Timothy?"

            "There's a guy on line one for ya - says you were in his office earlier asking about a van."

            Jana looked over at Nick, eyes wide.  "Thanks, I'll take it in here."  She reached over to the extension next to the couch, hitting the speakerphone button.  "Jana Stevens."

            "You're the lady who was in here earlier, the one whose friend was kidnapped?"  The gruff voice was instantly recognizable to Jana and Nick.

            "Yes, I was.  What can I do for you?"

            He chuckled.  "Actually, nothing.  I thought you might like to know that the van was just returned by the fellow who rented it.  I'll hold it for you if you'd like to come check it out."

            "That would be wonderful.  I'll pay you a day's rental for it."

            "Fair enough.  Come by anytime."  He hung up.  Jana did the same.

            "You going down there?"

            "Well, here's the dilemma, Nick.  The van is evidence.  We go down there and check it out ourselves, we compromise anything in there for Eckley's team."

            "Yeah, but they don't know about the van.  Brass said they're not even looking at your videotape."

            "Doesn't mean they won't.  Eckley does have some smart people on his shift.  I want to get Grissom back as much as you do, Nick," she said softly, leaning forward to put a hand on his arm.  "But I also want to make sure that Millander doesn't get away with it.  I want the bastard nailed.  And his attorneys will have a field day with any evidence we come up with because we all have ties to Grissom.  As much as I hate to say it, Eckley is the best we've got for nailing Millander."

            "So you're just going to sit back and do nothing now, after dragging us this far."  Nick jerked his arm away.

            "Did I say that?"  Jana stood up, heading for the door.  "All I said is that we've got a dilemma on our hands.  Call Brass and see what he thinks - he can always tell Eckley.  If Eckley checks it out, fine.  I'm going to go tell Warrick and Sara about the van."

*          *          *          *          *

            "As much as I hate to admit it, Jana's right.  We go through there and any evidence we get will be attacked because you guys are on Grissom's team.  Jana alone might be another story - her history might be able to offset it."  Brass voice crackled through the cell phone speaker.

            "So are you going to tell Eckley?"

            "Actually, I don't need to.  The sheriff discovered that Eckley hadn't seen the tape yet and got on his ass.  They found the plate and they're running it now.  They should have the van soon - with a search warrant to get the evidence."

            "I'll tell them.  Warrick and Sara are running the audiotape through Jana's lab.  Our audio guys get anything?"

            "Nothing so far.  If I hear anything I'll let you know."

            "Great."  Nick hung up and headed for the audio lab.  Jana was standing along the wall, head back and eyes closed.  Warrick and Sara and Kevin were sitting in front of the mixing board and computer, lifting the various tracks to see what they could find.  

            "I just talked to Brass - they finally looked at your tapes so they're going to be heading over there as soon as they get the warrant."

            "Good."

            Sara looked over at Jana.  "I don't get you at all."

            Jana shrugged.  "Neither do I at times."

            "You're going to lose money paying that guy if you don't go down there," Nick pointed out.

            "Not if it ensures the van is there when Brass and the others get there," Jana replied.  Abruptly she left the room, returning to her private office and locking the door behind her.  She slid down and rested her forehead on her knees.  She didn't know how much longer she was going to be able to hold up.  

            She'd never had an investigation hit her this hard before, where she felt like she was suffocating under the lack of direction.  She had five people looking to her for guidance on this - and she was just as clueless as they were.  And probably just as scared - maybe more so.  She'd worked kidnappings before, usually parental kidnappings during divorce cases.  But this time the victim was someone she knew, someone she cared about.

            She couldn't help but think about all the things she'd said to him - before she'd left CSI and earlier this year.  She'd been mean and hateful, and at the time she'd felt justified in saying them.  She'd been the one who'd been attacked by the murdering psycho, not him.  But now she realized he'd been hurt by what happened to her as well.  She'd just been too wrapped up in her own life to see it.

            She leaned her head back against the door, staring blankly at her ceiling.  It had taken her so long to get her life back together after the Marcus Jackson mess.  Part of what had kept her going for so long was her hatred for the three men.  Jackson had paid for his crimes, but she was still punishing Brass and Grissom in her own way.  It wasn't healthy, she knew, to stay so angry with them for so long.  But every time she'd thought about trying to let it go, she'd remember - and the hatred would flare up, hotter than ever.

            She winced as she recalled what she'd said to Grissom when she'd thrown him out of her hospital room, and again when he'd tried to get her to come back to work.  He'd tried to understand, but she'd been too angry to let him in.  She'd been too angry to let anyone in.

            Tears ran down her cheeks as she realized that she'd been wrong to hate him all those years.  Maybe she'd even been wrong to hate Brass.  She'd forgiven Grissom, but never apologized to him for the way she'd acted.  She was scared that she might not get that chance now.

            Jana sighed.  She needed to get her act together.  Falling apart now wasn't going to help anyone.  She got up and grabbed a tissue from her desk, wiping away her tears.  She unlocked the door to her office to find Sara, Warrick, and Nick standing in the reception area, looking uncomfortable.  She smiled at them wanly.

            "You okay?"  Warrick asked.

            "Yeah, just a little overwhelmed at the moment."

            "Yeah, we understand," he replied.  "We didn't get anything off that tape," he added with a sigh.

            Jana frowned.  "Well, it was worth a shot.  Look, guys - you've got to work your shift tonight.  You don't show up and the sheriff is going to know you're up to something.  Not to mention Grissom's reaction when he finds out."

            Nick gave a slight smile.  "True."

            "So why don't you go home and get some sleep," she suggested.  "We're not going to be useful if we're so dead on our feet that we couldn't recognize a clue if it was lit in neon."  They smiled at her lame attempt at humor.  "Go on," she said.  "If I find anything, I'll let you know."

            Warrick came forward to give her a hug.  "Thanks, Jana."

            She hugged him back.  "Hey, it's no big deal."

            He looked at her sharply.  "Yeah, it is - to us."  He followed Nick and Sara out the door.

            Jana watched them leave, debating on taking her own advice and going home to get some sleep.  Then she realized that the owner of the car rental place was probably expecting her.  She decided to head down there.  If the cops had beaten her there, so be it.  If they hadn't, she could at least take a visual look at the van for clues.

*          *          *          *          *

            The van was being towed away by the auto squad just as Jana pulled up to the agency.  She stayed in her car, sunglasses on, as Eckley and Brass came out of the office and got into their SUV.  Brass glanced her way, but if he recognized her he didn't show it.

            When they had gone, Jana got out of her car and entered the office.  The owner was still dressed in the same fatigues and bandana. 

            "The cops just came with a search warrant for the van. They must've gotten a tip from someone.  Sorry, but they took it with them."

            Jana gave a snort.  "Well, nice to know the cops are actually trying."  She pulled her checkbook out of her jacket pocket.  "How much for the day's rental?"

            Fatigues looked at her with surprise.  "You're willing to pay even though the van isn't here?"

            Jana gave him a smile.  "Hey - you were nice enough to hold the van for me, when you could have rented it out again.  It's not your fault the cops got here first."

            Fatigues told Jana the amount and watched in silence as she wrote out the check.  He was chewing on the inside of his cheek, as if he were turning an idea over in his mind.  When she handed the check over to him, he looked at it, then back at her.

            "Look, when the guy brought the van back, there was a piece of paper stuck under one of the windshield wipers.  I pulled it out to look at it, and I brought it in here to hold it for you."  He reached into a drawer and pulled out an envelope, handing it to Jana.  "I didn't tell the police about it."

            Jana took the envelope carefully.  She smiled up at him.  "I'm not going to tell the police about this.  I told you before - I don't reveal sources of information."  She leaned forward.  "Like I said before, if you ever need anything, call me.  I owe you a huge favor, and I always pay my debts."

            Fatigues nodded.  Jana left the building, getting back into her car and driving back to her office.  Once there, she opened the envelope to find the paper the rental agent had told her about.  It was an ad for a rave that had taken place three weeks before.  Jana frowned and turned the paper over.  There was nothing on the back.  The van had been rented after this rave had occurred, so why would the ad be under the windshield wiper?  Unless it had been left as a clue.

            Jana sat back in her chair and stared out her windows at the Las Vegas skyline.  As far as she knew, Millander and Lee didn't know that Grissom had asked her to stake out his house.  So they shouldn't have known that she had the van on tape.  So leaving a clue on the van made no sense - it wouldn't be found.  Then again, Millander was fond of playing games.  What if he had meant it as a clue, and was planning on leading the police to the van in some fashion - a anonymous tip, a photo of the plate sent to the lab, something like that.  There was still no guarantee that they would get the flyer.  But there might have been other evidence in the van.

            Jana sighed.  She was starting to wish she had gone down to check out the van when she first heard about it.  But she had the flyer.  Assuming it was a clue - what kind?  The rave was over.  So the date and time on the ad was probably irrelevant.  The DJ and the place, however, were possibilities.  

*          *          *          *          *

            Jana parked her car a few blocks away from the building and got out, checking her shoulder holster to make sure her weapon was secured.  When she'd started her business, she knew she would be working in seedy areas, so she'd bought a gun and gotten a permit to carry a concealed weapon.  She hadn't fired it at anything more dangerous than a paper target, but she wasn't taking chances.

            She'd done some research on the building where the rave in the ad had been held.  It was an abandoned warehouse, on the outskirts of town.  According to the newspaper stories she'd found, it was often used for raves and various illegal activities.  

            Jana had waited until after nightfall to check the building because she knew that she would stick out in the area during the day.  Also, she needed sleep.  So she'd napped on the couch in her office for a few hours, though it hadn't done much good.  Her dreams had all involved Grissom, and her fears of what Millander might do to him.

            Now, approaching the building, Jana could hear voices inside.  Creeping closer to a window, she peered in.  There wasn't a lot of light inside, but she could make out two figures standing in the center of the room.  One was gesturing wildly, the other standing quietly.  Straining her ears, Jana could only make out bits and pieces of the conversation.  It made no sense to her.  Slowly she made her way around the outside of the building, looking for a way in.  

            She was concentrating so much on not making noise that she didn't hear the man behind her until she felt the cold barrel of a gun pressed to the back of her head.  She immediately stilled, barely breathing.

            "I thought I saw someone out here."  The man behind her was close enough that she could feel his breath on the back of her neck.  That feeling and the gun brought back memories that Jana couldn't afford to let out, so she didn't respond, fighting back the old fears.

            "Okay, we're going to do this nice and slow.  Just start walking forward, and I'll tell you when to stop.  Try anything funny, and it will be the last thing you do."

            Jana moved forward slowly, hyper-aware of the gun pressed to her neck.  When they came to the door of the warehouse, he motioned her inside.

            Blinking against the light inside, Jana slowly let her eyes canvass the interior.  There was a cot in the corner with a blanket covering a figure.  She couldn't tell if the figure was breathing or not.

            "Well, well, well.  If it isn't Mr. Grissom's new neighbor, Ms. Lockhart.  What brings you to this area of Las Vegas?"

            Jana turned to see the pockmarked man from her dream.  He was standing in the middle of the room, regarding her.  She didn't respond, just stared at him.  He smiled maliciously at her.  "I'm so glad you're here, you'll be able to explain everything to the police for me."

            "What do you mean?"

            "Oh, has Mr. Grissom not told you about me?  Even after I sent him that package you so kindly signed for?  Hmm, I'm upset.  Well, Mr. Grissom and I go way back.  He's been trying to catch me for some time now, but he can never quite do it. 

            "Anyway, I've been sending him some notes lately, just to keep in touch.  My friend Daniel here has been helping me.  You see, Daniel works with Mr. Grissom, but he doesn't like him very much.  Apparently, Mr. Grissom was never able to solve a murder case involving a good friend of Daniel's."  Millander shook his head.  "Amazing how the mistakes of the past can come back to haunt one, isn't it?"

            Jana didn't know how to respond to that, so she kept her mouth shut and just watched Millander.  Lee still had the gun to her neck, so she couldn't take the chance of pulling her own.

            "Anyway, when Mr. Grissom decided not to let anyone else know I was still around, I decided more drastic measures had to be taken."

            "You kidnapped him," Jana said quietly.

            "That is such a cold term, but yes.  I had to do something to get his attention, let him know that I was serious.  I was just planning on taking off and leaving a note, but you are so much better than a note - another living witness.  Now, Ms. Lockhart, if you would be so kind as to take a seat on the floor next to the cot."  Millander had pulled a gun out of his jacket and aimed it at Jana.  She looked at the gun, then him, and then slowly turned and walked over to the cot.  The blanket was covering the figure, though she could see chains extending from under the blanket to the legs of the cot.

            Millander kept his gun aimed at her while Lee tied Jana's hands in front of her and tied her legs together and to the leg of the cot.  The two men then retreated to the other side of the room, talking in low tones.  Finally they headed out the door, with Millander flipping a jaunty wave at Jana before closing and locking it behind him.  Jana heard a car start up and at that moment she would have kissed the ground Brass walked on to have heard police sirens pull up.  But silence settled in on the warehouse.  Brass either hadn't gotten the message she had left for him, or he was on his way, but not in time.

            Grimly Jana stared down at her hands.  Neither man apparently suspected that Jana carried a knife with her, or they would have tied her hands in the back.  Or maybe they were counting on her being able to get loose.  Jana had no idea what they were thinking now.  She managed to awkwardly move herself so that she could get her knife out of her hip pocket.  She jostled the cot in the process, and thought she heard a groan from the occupant.  She stilled, listening.  The warehouse was quiet again.

            She released the blade and clamped the hilt between her knees, giving her better access to the ropes around her wrists.  It was slow going, but she finally managed to get her wrists free.  It was a lot easier to cut the ropes around her ankles.  She stood up carefully, unsure about how much of her circulation had been cut off.  Not enough to affect her, apparently.

            She moved over to the head of the cot and eased back the blanket.  Grissom was alive, and she closed her eyes in relief before taking another look at him.  He had a black eye and another bruise on his jaw.  His wrists were raw from where he'd been fighting the handcuffs that held him to the chains.  She reached out a hand to check his pulse.  It was a little erratic, but there.

            His eyelids fluttered open, and his blue eyes looked at Jana briefly before they closed again.  She heard him whisper something, but she couldn't make out what.  She leaned down.

            "Gil - it's me, Jana.  I'm going to get you out of here.  Don't worry.  Brass is on his way."

            He didn't stir again, and Jana prowled around the room to see if Millander had left the keys to the cuffs.  There was nothing.  "Damn it," she muttered.  Her knife would be useless against metal.  "I knew I should have learned how to pick locks," she said aloud.

            "Not exactly something a CSI needs to know," his voice whispered from behind her.  She turned to find him watching her.  She knelt down by the edge of the cot.

            "No, but it would sure come in handy now.  How are you feeling?"

            He moved and winced.  "Like hell.  Where's Millander?"

            "Gone.  He and Lee took off a few minutes ago.  Brass knows I'm here though and should be along any minute now.  I know he's going to read me the riot act for coming here alone," she said with a smile.  Grissom tried to smile back and winced again.

            "Jana, I'm sorry.  I shouldn't have dragged you into this."  His voice was still a whisper.

            "Don't start that again, Grissom," Jana said sharply.  "We can debate the relative stupidity of your actions later.  Let's just get out of here first, okay?"

            "Are you going to say 'I told you so'?" he asked.

            "No.  I'll let your team chew you out - they're not exactly happy you know.  Especially since the sheriff gave your case to Eckley."

            Grissom closed his eyes again, and Jana watched him carefully.  He was still breathing steadily, but she was worried.  She had no idea what had been done to him while they had him - if the bruises were a result of him trying to escape or a way of knocking him out.  It was possible that they had drugged him, which would account for his lethargy.  

            Jana reached out to take one of his hands, squeezing it to reassure herself.  She smiled when she felt him weakly squeeze back.  She didn't know how long she sat there on the concrete floor, holding Grissom's hand, before the police arrived.

*          *          *          *          *

            Two days later Grissom was sitting in the chair in his hospital room, reading, when someone knocked on the door.  He looked up to find Jana peeking around the doorway, an uncertain smile on her face.

            "Hey," she said.

            He smiled.  "Hey, come on in."  He set his book down as she entered, her hands behind her back.  "Do I want to know what you're hiding?"

            "Probably not," she said as she pulled her hands out to reveal a bright yellow stuffed bee.  He raised his eyebrow at her.  "Hey - it was the only thing in the gift shop I could find - unless you really wanted the latest issue of 'Home and Garden Weekly', which I somehow don't see you reading."

            He took the bee from her.  "Thank you.  I'm sure I can find some place for it."

            Jana grinned wickedly.  "Now I know what Catherine's daughter is getting for her next birthday."  She sat down in the other chair next to him.  "What are you reading, anyway?"

            "_Superstition and Force_.  It's a book about torture, ordeal, and trial by combat in medieval law."

            "Sorry I asked.  How are you feeling?"

            "Better.  They're letting me go home today."

            "Good."

            "Brass told me that you basically ran your own investigation to find me.  Thank you."

            Jana looked down, a little embarrassed.  "I felt a little guilty over not getting you to go to your team with this."

            He reached out to lift her chin up so they were looking at each other.  "You weren't responsible for my actions, Jana.  You know that.  You tried everything you could to get me to go to Brass about this.  I was just too stubborn to listen."

            "Seems like that's par for the course with us, Gil."

            He let his hand drop back to his lap and tilted his head to one side.  "What do you mean?"

            She looked down at her hands in her lap.  "For five years I was too stubborn to listen to you.  I'm sorry; I shouldn't have taken my anger to that extreme.  I said a lot of things I didn't really mean just because I wanted someone else to hurt as badly as I was hurting."

            He reached out to cover her hands with one of his own.  "I know.  And I'm still sorry I didn't listen to you then, either.  I think both of us were too caught up in our own worlds to see into each other's."

            "What was it you once called us?  'Two ships passing in the night'?"

            He smiled.  "Exactly."

            They were still sitting there silently, his hand on hers, when Brass walked in.  "Am I interrupting something?"

            Grissom turned to him.  "Yes, actually."

            Jana laughed at the expression on Brass' face. He looked like he wasn't sure if he needed to protect Grissom from Jana or run screaming from the room.  She withdrew her hands from Grissom's and stood up.  "I need to get going - have paperwork awaiting me at the office."  She leaned down to give Grissom a quick kiss on the forehead, surprising him.  "You take care of yourself - you hear?  I am _not_ going through this again."

            Brass had been watching the exchange warily.  Jana walked up to him and looked back at Grissom.  "Keep an eye on him, Brass."  When Brass raised an eyebrow at her, she smiled sweetly and stretched up to kiss him on the cheek.  "And thanks for everything."

            Jana left the room, leaving both men staring after her in stunned silence.

            "What the hell was that all about?"  Brass finally asked.

            Grissom shrugged, smiling.  "I don't know.  But I'm ready to get out of here and back to work."

*          *          *          *          *

            This time, Jana was the one who was late for their meeting.  She hurried into the diner to find him already sitting in their usual booth, reading something he had brought with him.

            "Sorry," she said, sliding into the booth.  "Lost track of time."

            "No problem," he replied, closing the folder and setting it to one side.  "It happens."

            She smiled at him.  "And you would know."

            "Yeah."  He looked at her and frowned.  "You're not smoking."

            "Nope.  Decided to try to quit.  We'll see how this goes."

            He reached over to squeeze her hand.  "I'm glad you are."

            Jana flushed, pulling her hand away.  They ordered dinner in silence. While they were waiting, Jana looked up at Grissom.  He was staring off into space.

            "You want to talk about it?" she asked softly.  He shifted his gaze back to her.

            "I don't know."

            "You ought to, you know.  I'm sure Catherine has been bugging you about that."

            He smiled at that.  "Yes, she has."

            "I've been there, Gil," she said, looking directly into his eyes.  "Don't keep it all inside.  You'll end up like me."

            He sighed, knowing she was right.  "There's not all that much to tell.  I was talking to Brass when I got a page saying that I need to get home because one of my neighbors was in trouble at my house - you, to be exact.  So I rushed home.  Millander was waiting for me, and there was blood on the floor next to him.  He told me he had you, so I went with him.  I dropped my keys on the ground outside so that someone would know I wasn't exactly willing.  Lee was outside with the van.  I don't know why, but I tried to resist, and Millander ended up hitting me on the jaw."  He rubbed his jaw and winced at the memory.  "What's wrong?" he asked, seeing Jana's expression.

            "He used me to get to you."

            "Jana - quit that.  He was planning this from the start.  He already had my house bugged."

            "Yeah, and I just made it easier for him."

            "If you're going to sit there and act pitiful, I'm leaving."

            She glared at him.  He glared back.  Finally she laughed.  "You're cute when you're angry.  Or embarrassed," she added when he looked down to hide his reaction.  "Okay, I'm sorry.  I'll quit teasing you."

            "What has gotten into you, Jana?"

            "Honestly?  I decided that five years of useless anger was enough.  I'm not saying I've totally gone the 'forgive and forget' route, but I've decided that punishing other people is not the best way to get on with my life."  She shrugged.  "Though I admit, I am having fun freaking out Brass with my change in attitude."

            He shook his head.  "He's still recovering from that scene in the hospital."

            She smiled wickedly.  "Good.  Maybe I ought to drop by and see him one of these days."

            He rubbed his forehead.  "Jana…" He didn't finish his sentence as the waitress brought out their dinners.  When she had gone he looked back at Jana.  Her face was serious again.

            "I'm kidding, Gris.  Why don't you finish telling me what happened?"

            "Not much else to tell," he said with a shrug.  "By the time I regained consciousness, I was chained to the cot.  Lee caught me trying to escape and hit me, which is how I got my black eye.  Then they used halothane to keep me unconscious.  That's about it until you arrived."  His voice dropped.  "I wasn't sure if I was relieved or scared when I saw you leaning over me - I was afraid that they had gotten you too.  Then you made that remark about picking locks."

            She smiled.  "They had gotten me - I'm sure Brass told you they had tied me up.  They just didn't count on me having a knife."

            "That wasn't exactly smart, going there alone."

            "No, but I wasn't taking any chances with your life.  And I did tell Brass where I was going.  So I was at least not _completely_ stupid.  And if we're going to go down this road, we're going to end up arguing again."

            "Fine.  So let's talk about us instead."

            Jana looked up from her plate and stared at him.  "What about us?"

            "You know why I keep inviting you to lunch, even though you often cancel at the last minute?"

            Jana decided not to make a smart remark and settled for a simple, "No."

            "I like spending time with you, Jana, despite our past differences.  I'd like to do it more often."

            She regarded him solemnly.  He was serious, she could tell.  She sighed.  "I don't know, Gil.  I'm not sure I'm ready for anything beyond this," she said, gesturing at the diner.

            "That's all I'm asking for.  Right now. "

            Jana reached across the table to take his hand.  She smiled at him, a smile that held a hint of promise.  "I can handle that.  For now."


End file.
